East Sussex woman to star in The Great British Bake Off 2020

Due to this year's exceptional circumstances, the 12 new bakers entered a bubble for seven weeks in order to allow the competition to happen.

One of those was 61-year-old Linda, from East Sussex.

About Linda, Channel 4 said: "Linda discovered her passion for baking during her frequent childhood visits to her aunt’s dairy farm, just down the road from her own home. She’d help to milk the cows, then carry a bucket of milk into the kitchen, where her aunt taught her to bake cakes topped with rich, creamy icing. To this day Linda buys homegrown produce from another aunt’s fruit farm and uses it in her baking.

"Her strengths are in the classics and in home-comfort cooking, like her signature sausage rolls. A lover of the countryside and of being outdoors in general, Linda will frequently head with her partner to their local beach, to fish for mackerel and mullet. And she loves to spend time in her garden – cultivating its produce and for its positive effects on her well-being."

This year's Great British Bake Off will see the iconic tent remains the same, but there are 30 brand new challenges set by judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith.

Hosts Noel Fielding and Matt Lucas kick off the series with Cake Week. First, in the signature, the bakers get the opportunity to put their twist on the classic Battenberg.

Next, under the gingham cloth are the ingredients for the first technical; turning out a fruit sponge, that’s one of Paul’s favourites.

Finally, a showstopper that gives the bakers a chance to express their creativity, as they pay tribute to their heroes. An opportunity for the judges to see what inspires this year’s bakers, and whether they have the skills to translate it into cake.

Twelve bakers in the bubble. Three challenges. Only one will be crowned star baker, and sadly one will be going home.